Improvement in purifying fatty materials



UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

JEAN BAPTISTE MOINIER AND PIERRE HIPPOLYTE BOUTIGNY, OF PARIS,

' FRANCE.

IMPROVEMENT IN PURIFYING FATTY MATEREALS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 59,572, dated February b, 1853 To all about it may concern:

Be it known that we, J. B. MOINIER and PIERRE HIPPOLY'rE BOUTIGNY, of Paris, France, have made an important improvement in the preparation of fatty acids and tallows fit for lighting, under the form of wax candles or tapers, (bougies ct Merges) tallow candles, &c., whether said materials proceed from tallow, grease, or lard, from palm, eocoanut, or sperm oil, and generally from any animal or vegetable fatty substance, &c.

This improvement, that may be termed a true discovery, applies especially to the treatment of fatty matters with alkalies, and under the general denomination of alkali I include potash, soda, ammonia, lithina, baryta, and lime.

It consists in causing to pass through the mixture of fatty matters with alkalies, as long as the combination or the potting-in is doing,

a strong current of sulphurous-acid gas. The

effect of the use of the said sulphurous-acid gas and of the subjecting the mixtures of fatty materials with alkalies to its action is to free the compound from impurities and harden it, so that candles will be produced therefrom equal to wax or sperm, and giving as brilliant a light.

Sometimes,instead.of mere sulphnrous acid, I use the same when combined with the basesthat is, being a sulphite and containing so calculated quantities of sulphurous acid that the salts proceeding therefrom be sulphites, bisnlphites, trisulphites, 850. The use of said gas requires no alteration whatsoever in the manual or mechanical processes of preparing fatty acids with alkalies; but 1 content myself with submitting the residues proceeding from the action of the alkalies on the fatty acids to a current of the above-specified sulphurous' acid gas for two successive hours. Such residues are then cleared of the gas by being washed by free steam and under pressure. The next new accruing residues are treated in a like manner, and successively so on till the matter is completely exhausted.

In case of tallow-candle manufacturing, in order to render tallow, grease, or lard of a superior quality it is sufficient to have them melted and submitted for two hours to a current of the above-mentioned gas.

Upon the whole my invention or discovery depends on the use of the aforesaid gas, as I havejust hereinbcl'ore explained.

What I claim as my invention and discovery lS- The introduction and mingling of a current or currents of SUIPlllJI'OllS-zlOld gas with mixtures of fatty acids and alkalies preparatory to the process of being converted into candles, tapers, and articles for burning, thereby rendering such mixtures of a superior quality and causing them to burn with a. stronger, clearer, and brighter light.

The within translation is made from the descriptive memorial presented by Mr. Moinier to the French Government, and upon which the patent was granted. The undersigned, however, are jointly the inventors of the process therein described.

laris, 19th day of May, 1852.

JEAN BAPTISTE MOINIER.

PIERRE IIIPIOLYTE BOU'llGSY.

Witnesses S. G. GooDNIL, XV. S. CHASE. 

